Easy Vanilla Cake
Easy 6 inch single layer vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, a classic vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, a light and fully texture with sour cream to make it extra moist paired with a luscious chocolate frosting.
Ingredients
Cake
- 59 g Sour Cream (room temperature, ¼ cup + ¾ teaspoon)
- 18 g Canola Oil (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 81 g Cake Flour (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 97 g Granulated Sugar (½ cup MINUS 2 teaspoons)
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 51 g unsalted butter (room temperature, ¼ cup MINUS ½ teaspoon)
- 2 egg whites (room temperature, in separate bowls)
Frosting
- 70 g Unsalted Butter (room temperature, ¼ cup + 3 teaspoons)
- 134 g Powdered Sugar (1 cup + 6 teaspoons)
- 15 g Cocoa Powder (9 teaspoons)
- 28 g Dark Chocolate (melted, 1oz)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- 1 teaspoon Milk
- 1 teaspoon Light Corn Syrup
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard)
- Spray 1 6-inch cake pan with cooking spray and a parchment paper circle, set aside
- Measure the sour cream, canola oil and vanilla extract into a bowl and set aside
- In the bowl of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients together: cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
- With the mixer on low, add the room temperature butter in small pieces to the dry ingredient mixer. Keep the mixer running until you create a sandy texture with the butter broken up into evenly sized pieces, about 2 and half minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl
- With the mixer on medium, slowly pour in the liquids mixture. The batter will look lumpy at this point, keep mixing until it is evenly combined.
- Scrape down the bowl, ensuring there are no clumps of flour stuck at the bottom of the bowl
- Add 1 egg white and mix on low until it is fully absorbed, about 1 minute
- Scrape down the bowl
- Add the second egg white and mix until it is fully absorbed
- Bake for 30 minutes at 325°F convection setting (or 350°F standard), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool completely before frosting about 1 hour
For the Frosting
- Beat butter and melted dark chocolate together until creamy
- Gradually add in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, alternating with the milk
- Add the vanilla extract
- Add the corn syrup and mix well
- Beat well until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
Assembly
- Chill the fully cooled cake in the fridge for 20 minutes so it’s easier to work with
- Using a small amount of frosting do a crumb coat- a thin layer of frosting to lock the crumbs onto the cake
- Chill the cake 20 minutes in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer
- Using the most of the remaining buttercream, frost the cake. Use an offset spatula to evenly spread frosting on the top of the cake, then along the sides to create a smooth edge.
- For the decorative boarder- use a Wilton 1M piping tip in a pastry bag or zip lock bag. Starting from the inside edge of where you want the boarder, pipe in a circular motion perpendicular to the cake, slowing moving around the cake until you reach where you started